Katie Sorah makes gold ribbons for 5K fundraiser
WRITTEN BY KAREN SHUEY
DOUGLASSVILLE, PA —
Katie Sorah never got the opportunity to meet Aidan Dunion.
The teenager missed getting to know the youngster, who adored superheroes and loved playing video games. She knew him only as the brave 4-year-old fighting a rare form of brain cancer who lived down the street.
But that was enough.
Aidan, the son of Pat and Tara Dunion of Douglassville, was diagnosed with what doctors call DIPG, or diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. It’s a tumor on the brain stem that affects nervous-system functions and increasingly robs victims of their ability to walk and talk.
Doctors couldn’t operate because if they did, they could harm Aidan’s ability to breathe, swallow or perform other vital functions.
Aidan died in August 2014, and family members have since dedicated themselves to helping other pediatric cancer patients and their families. And so has Katie.
“It means so much to me to see young people getting involved, because the children faced with these challenges are their peers,” Tara Dunion said of Katie. “It’s nice to see a person who cares this much.”
Katie said she was stunned when she learned how many children are battling the disease.
“One child out of every five diagnosed with brain cancer dies,” she said. “That’s just not fair. We need to do something about this.”
So Katie decided to take her support to the next level by helping to spread awareness for childhood cancer when Aidan’s Avengers holds its second annual 5K Superhero Dash/Walk & Family Fest on Saturday in Douglassville.
The Daniel Boone High School junior is asking residents living along the event route to hang a gold ribbon from their mailboxes to support pediatric cancer awareness.
A gold ribbon is the international awareness symbol for pediatric cancer. Unlike other cancer awareness ribbons, which focus on a singular type of cancer, the gold ribbon is a symbol for all forms of cancer affecting children and adolescents.
“I thought the ribbons would be a good way to raise awareness for what the event is all about,” Katie said. “The idea is that enough people know the facts about childhood cancer they will want to do what they can to find a cure so this doesn’t have to happen to anyone else.”
Tara Dunion said she was touched when Katie approached her about the project to line the streets with gold.
“It made my heart smile,” she said.
